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Soldier (1998)
Category:ArticlesCategory:Films | running time = 99 min. | country = UK/USA | language = English | budget = $75,000,000 | gross revenue = $14,567,883 (US) | preceded by = | followed by = }} Soldier is a joint British-American science fiction film directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. It was written by David Webb People and produced by Susan Ekins, R.J. Louis and James G. Robinson for Morgan Creek Productions and Warner Bros. Pictures. The film stars Kurt Russell, Jason Scott Lee, Jason Isaacs, Connie Nielsen, Sean Pertwee and Gary Busey and was released theatrically in the United States on October 23rd, 1998. Plot Wikipedia entry In 1996, as part of a new military training program, a group of orphaned infants are selected at birth and raised as highly disciplined soldiers with no understanding of anything but military routine. In 2035, At the age of 49, Sgt. Todd 3465 is a hardened veteran and one of the original test subjects, but his unit is about to be replaced. Colonel Mekum introduces a new group of genetically engineered soldiers, designed with superior physical attributes and a complete lack of emotion, except complete aggression. They are all virtually identical, bald, and wearing black suits, incapable of feeling any pain at all. Todd's unit's commander, Captain Church, insists on testing the new soldiers' abilities against his own. Caine 607 easily defeats three of the original soldiers, but Todd gouges out Caine's eye before he is defeated. Mekum orders their bodies disposed of like garbage, and Todd seemingly dies when he falls from a great height; the body of a dead soldier cushions his fall, and he is simply knocked unconscious. The remaining older soldiers are demoted to menial support roles, and Caine receives an artificial eye. Dumped on a waste disposal planet, Todd limps toward a colony who crash-landed earlier and are now scavenging supplies. As they were believed dead, no rescue missions have been attempted. Though they try to make him welcome, Todd has difficulty adapting to the community due to his extreme conditioning and their conflict-free lives. He is sheltered by Mace and his wife Sandra. Todd develops a silent rapport with their mute son, Nathan, who had been traumatized by a snakebite earlier in his life. In a later conflict with a coiled snake, Todd forces Nathan to face it down and strike back to protect himself. His parents disapprove of the lesson, unsure of how to deal with Todd. However, Todd soon begins to experience flashbacks from his time as a soldier and mistakes one of the colonists for an enemy, nearly killing him. Fearful, the colonists provide Todd with supplies and expel him from the community. Apparently experiencing strong emotion for the first time, Todd appears confused when he is overcome by loss and cries. A short time later, Mace and Sandra are almost bitten by a snake while they sleep, but they are saved by Nathan, who uses Todd's technique. Now understanding the value of Todd's lesson, they seek him to reintegrate him into the community, but the others resist. The new genetically engineered soldiers arrive on the garbage planet, and, since the world is listed as uninhabited, Colonel Mekum decides use the colonists' community as a training exercise. The soldiers spot Mace and kill him just after he finds Todd. Though outmanned and outgunned, Todd's years of battle experience and superior knowledge of the planet allow him to return to the colony and kill the advance squad. Nervous that an unknown enemy force may be confronting them, Colonel Mekum orders the soldiers to withdraw and return with heavy artillery. Using guerilla tactics, Todd outmaneuvers and defeats all of the remaining soldiers, including Caine 607, whom he defeats in hand-to-hand combat. Panicking, Mekum orders the transport ship's crew, composed of Todd's old squad, to set up and activate a portable nuclear device powerful enough to destroy the planet. He then orders the ship to lift off, leaving the squad behind. When Captain Church objects, Mekum shoots him in cold blood. Before they can take off as planned, Todd appears, and his old comrades recognize him as the ranking officer due to their conditioning. They silently side with him over the army that has discarded them, and they take over the ship. They leave Mekum and his aides on the planet and evacuate the remaining colonists. Todd orders the ship to set course for the Trinity Moons, the colonists' original destination, then picks up Nathan and points to their new destination, while looking out upon the galaxy. Cast Notes & Trivia * The tagline for this film is, "Left for dead on a remote planet for obsolete machines and people, a fallen hero has one last battle to fight." * Production on Soldier began on January 20th, 1998. Principal filming concluded on May 6th, 1998. The movie was shot at the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank, California. * This is the third film directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and the second sci-fi film that he directed. He previously directed Mortal Kombat in 1995 and Event Horizon in 1997. * Filming was delayed by three months so that actor Kurt Russell could work out and develop his muscle definition for the role of Todd 3465. * Wyatt Russell, who plays eleven-year-old Todd 3465 in this film, is the son of actors Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. * Wreckage from the Lewis & Clark from Event Horizon can be seen on the planet in this film. Quotes Recommendations See also External Links References ---- Category:1998/Films Category:October, 1998/Films Category:Warner Bros. Category:Morgan Creek Productions